This invention relates to a photographic processing machine for automatically developing and drying film, printing images on films onto photographic paper, and developing and drying the photographic paper.
As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, this type of photographic processing machine has a film developing unit A comprising a plurality of treating tanks, a film drying unit B, a printing unit C, a printed paper developing unit D having a plurality of treating tanks, and a printed paper drying unit E. Films F are fed through the units A, B and C. Web of photographic paper P is fed through the units C, D and E. While feeding films and photographic paper, the films are developed and dried and the images thereon are printed onto the photographic paper. The thus printed photographic paper is developed and dried. These steps are all carried out automatically.
In the photographic art, the film developing unit A and film drying unit B are usually referred to comprehensively as a film processor, while the printing unit C, printed paper developing unit D and printed paper drying unit E are comprehensively called a printer.
In such a photographic processing device, since the film is in the form of a tape, it can not be turned in the same horizontal plane. For this reason, the film feed path G extending from the film drying unit B to the printing unit C is located right over the film drying unit B (FIG. 18), or it extends straight ahead from the unit B (FIG. 19).
With either of the above arrangements, the device is inevitably elongated in a vertical direction or in a longitudinal direction. In recent years, photographic processing device of this kind are installed in small places. In view of the restriction resulting therefrom, there is an increased demand for more compact photographic processing devices.
An object of the present invention is to provide a photographic processing device in which the films can be developed and printed continuously and automatically even if the film feed direction in the film processor and that in the printer are not in the same vertical plane.